Expanding your system volume under Win7-Bloody winsxs folder
Posted: Mon Jan 25, 2010 12:57 pm
I have always tried to keep my system volume at a tidy and manageable size. Unfortunately, as I missed out the pile of poo that was Vista, I never came across the ever expanding winsxs folder before. Well Win7Pro has it too, and it gets BIG! It is actually not as big as reported, as the physical size is small, but explorer reads it as being full of data, and not links. This matters not as when explorer sees you drive full, it is full! Crazy.... Anyway, I had a tortuous night last night trying to sort this. I hope this helps someone else with the same problem.
Firstly, I decided to download some partition software. A few of these are free, and will allow you to expand a system volume, unlike disk manager within your operating system. This was where the problems started. The partition software that is free is 32bit only, and will screw your whole computer up if you run it on a 64bit operating system. After reading far too much on the subject, I decided to find a torrent with Euseus Partition manager Pro on it, as it supported 64bit. Now this is not free, and I was looking to try before you buy!
Instant virus (These fed boys know what they are doing!). It ravaged my PC in instantly, with the process tree hitting the hundreds in seconds. It froze the virus killer and added processes quicker than I could delete them. Considerably quicker! Within seconds I did a hard shut down, and booted up my second install of WinXP Pro. From there I ran every virus killer I could get my hands on, till finally I got enough positive finds to satisfy I had cleared it. Then it dawned on me. I was in a 32bit operating system, with access to the same drive volumes, and the 32bit Euseus software was free..
Aaaaaargh! So I thought there was still a chance the Win7Pro 64 install would be fekd, so I ploughed on with expanding its volume, by reducing the second partition, and creating 'unused space'. I then increases the system volume to encompass it. It worked on screen, but then I had to go back in and see what damage I/the virus had caused in the win7pro 64 system.
Well, here I am, with a lovely big system C:\, with plenty of space for some bad implementation of software redundancy by MS. The virus is dead, and I have won - hurrah.
Soo, If you want to increase your system volume for free, and you have a dual install with a 32bit operating system, you are now in luck
Edit*** When you get your Win7 64 copy, you also get the Win7 32bit disc. If you don't want to buy partition software, dual boot with the 32bit operating system, and use the free software, as I did above. Beware Acronis Disk Director as there are posts throughout the net with disasters on 64bit systems. Make sure you only run the EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition (Free) on a 32bit operating system, as it will kill your Windows 64 install! You can use the in-built disk manager to increase C:\, but you will have to delete the entire volume/partition next to it. As this was FULL of important stuff, that was of no use to me. You cannot move the unallocated space in the disk manager tool, so shrinking the other volume will create the space on the right of the drive/partition you have reduced. This means C:\ cannot expand into it, and that option will remain grayed out.
Firstly, I decided to download some partition software. A few of these are free, and will allow you to expand a system volume, unlike disk manager within your operating system. This was where the problems started. The partition software that is free is 32bit only, and will screw your whole computer up if you run it on a 64bit operating system. After reading far too much on the subject, I decided to find a torrent with Euseus Partition manager Pro on it, as it supported 64bit. Now this is not free, and I was looking to try before you buy!
Instant virus (These fed boys know what they are doing!). It ravaged my PC in instantly, with the process tree hitting the hundreds in seconds. It froze the virus killer and added processes quicker than I could delete them. Considerably quicker! Within seconds I did a hard shut down, and booted up my second install of WinXP Pro. From there I ran every virus killer I could get my hands on, till finally I got enough positive finds to satisfy I had cleared it. Then it dawned on me. I was in a 32bit operating system, with access to the same drive volumes, and the 32bit Euseus software was free..
Aaaaaargh! So I thought there was still a chance the Win7Pro 64 install would be fekd, so I ploughed on with expanding its volume, by reducing the second partition, and creating 'unused space'. I then increases the system volume to encompass it. It worked on screen, but then I had to go back in and see what damage I/the virus had caused in the win7pro 64 system.Well, here I am, with a lovely big system C:\, with plenty of space for some bad implementation of software redundancy by MS. The virus is dead, and I have won - hurrah.
Soo, If you want to increase your system volume for free, and you have a dual install with a 32bit operating system, you are now in luck
Edit*** When you get your Win7 64 copy, you also get the Win7 32bit disc. If you don't want to buy partition software, dual boot with the 32bit operating system, and use the free software, as I did above. Beware Acronis Disk Director as there are posts throughout the net with disasters on 64bit systems. Make sure you only run the EASEUS Partition Master Home Edition (Free) on a 32bit operating system, as it will kill your Windows 64 install! You can use the in-built disk manager to increase C:\, but you will have to delete the entire volume/partition next to it. As this was FULL of important stuff, that was of no use to me. You cannot move the unallocated space in the disk manager tool, so shrinking the other volume will create the space on the right of the drive/partition you have reduced. This means C:\ cannot expand into it, and that option will remain grayed out.